Apparatus driven by ocean waves for cleaning and preventing marine growth like barnacles on offshore structures and maintaining the structures free of marine growth is available in the market. This apparatus comprises at least one ring used individually or in a series held together with linking members to form a cage. These apparatus are normally designed to be positively buoyant so they can respond to ocean energy. The wave driven device is driven by a combination between tidal fluctuation, waves and swells while the current driven apparatus is driven downward by current forces and resurfaces when there is a lack of current due to its buoyancy.
Although effective, the apparatus nevertheless has a limited operating life span due to settlement of marine organisms on the apparatus themselves. While the components that make continuous contact to the structure can keep themselves cleaned of marine growth such as rollers, other components such as connector assemblies are subject to marine growth colonization and hereinafter defined as non self-cleaning components. These have to be coated with anti-fouling coatings and once the life of anti-fouling coating is expired, marine growth starts to settle and gradually build up to the level whereby the buoyancy of the apparatus is compromised and the product will sink and no longer be operational.
One of the most common wear and tear is the premature breakage of the connectors at the pivotal connection. This is due to the rotation of the connectors as the product is driven under ocean forces over a long period. The operating life span of the apparatus is also further reduced when these structures are operating in rough sea areas such as in typhoon prone areas. The breakage of the connectors will compromise the integrity of the apparatus.